Novak Djokovic Advances to Paris Masters 2019 Final; Rafael Nadal Injured

Novak Djokovic battled past a determined Grigor Dimitrov to make it into the final of the 2019 Paris Masters on Saturday.

There was little between the players for long spells of the contest, with the top seed eventually running out a 7-6 (5), 6-4 winner.

Djokovic will face Canada's Denis Shapovalov in Sunday's final. 

Shapovalov progressed after Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw from their semi-final after suffering an abdominal injury in the warm-up:

Here are the results from Paris and a recap of some of the best of the action on semi-finals day.

Paris Masters—Saturday Schedule

(1) Novak Djokovic bt. Grigor Dimitrov: 7-6 (5), 6-4

(2) Rafael Nadal vs. Denis Shapovalov (Nadal withdrew due to injury)

Saturday Recap

Throughout the week in Paris, Djokovic has been in serene form, meaning the match was always going to be a big challenge for Dimitrov.

The Bulgarian would have been pleased with the manner in which he performed from the off, as there was little between him and the top seed at times. Both players were rock-solid on serve, and from early in the set, it felt as though a tiebreak would be needed to separate them.

In it, there were signs of nervousness from both players, but eventually, Djokovic was able to move through the gears and find his best in the clutch moments, per George Bellshaw of Metro:

Here's the moment Djokovic came out on top at the end of an extraordinary rally:

Having come up just short in the first set, Dimitrov needed to regroup at the start of the second stanza. And although the Bulgarian was able to play solid tennis still, the tiebreak seemed to serve as a boost for Djokovic.

In the fifth game, the 16-time Grand Slam champion carved out the first two break points of the match. Djokovic seized the second one of them, and after consolidating with his own hold of serve, he was able to coast to victory.

The Serb will now be favourite for victory on Sunday against Shapovalov after Nadal's decision to pull out of the tournament due to injury.

Victory for Nadal at the tournament would have guaranteed him the year-end No. 1 spot, but his withdrawal sends Shapovalov into his first ATP Masters 1000 final.

Nadal has spoken about his injury and is hopeful of being fit for the ATP finals in London, which start on Nov. 9.

"That's the biggest goal right now. We can call it unlucky, we can call it different things, but it happened today," he said, per ESPN. "And when things happen, the only thing that you can do is accept it. And even if it's a tough situation for me, I need to stay positive."

Djokovic will be looking to win the Paris Masters for the fifth time in his career on Sunday. His last victory at the tournament in Bercy came in 2015.